


A Little Less Lonely Together

by Euphoriette



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-23 03:03:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17072273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Euphoriette/pseuds/Euphoriette
Summary: In which Shinki's night terrors become all too real, and Gaara's bamboozled by parenthood (but he cares too much for his son to not try his best).





	A Little Less Lonely Together

Shinki only ever lucid dreams. 

It fits him. He prefers understanding his situation. Floundering around like a fish out of water isn’t his style.

Usually, has some degree of control over whatever the fresh fuck his mind decides to conjure up at night. This control allows him to take the right turn into sunlight when monsters claw at his back. It allows him to struggle free of the anchor pulling him down to the seabed, and break the ocean surface. He plucks the sword out of the stone like King Arthur on steroids, and slays dragons and saves princesses, and is badass like nobodies business.

It’s one of his better-liked dreams. His dreamself crowdsurfs across rows and rows of people until they drop him and his fancy armor crushes him like a pancake. He winds up on the floor with a bruised tailbone.

He’s okay with it. The dream was definitely worth it.

Not like this dream.

In this dream, Gaara-sama stands before him, with an apologetic smile on his face, and Shinki is unexplicably concerned. The Kazekage’s sand swirls around him catching light, even though there is none, and the swirling sand glitches to thick red and back. There’s something… _off_.

Shinki abruptly realizes that there’s someone behind Gaara and he opens his mouth to say something but he can only choke on his words as a small boy with eyes the color of the sky steps out from behind his father and clenches his fist with finality.

Father dissolves into blood, and spit dribbles down Shinki’s chin as his eyes fly open. His hands scrabble for purchase in his bedsheets, as he screams soundlessly. His eyes are burning and he’s struggling, he can’t breathe, why can’t he _breathe_ -

The smooth-dry shift of iron curling around his pale throat jolts him fully awake, and he pushes with all his might and wills it back. Not today, not _ever_. He won’t go like this, not a chance.

The metallic dust shimmers in the moonlight filtering through his window, and moves uncharacteristically, jaggedly, sharp edges shining in and out of existence.

His own jutsu nearly killed him.

Shinki immediately thinks that Kazekage-sama must not know about this, what would he say, he would hate me, he wouldn’t want me anymore.  
Nothing matters more to him than his father. Nothing comes close.

 

Shinki’s cheeks are sticky with salt and sleep does not come to him that night.

\---

Something’s up.

Gaara can tell, in the slouch of his son’s shoulders, and the way his iron moves, foregoing it’s usual smooth slide for spiking up and down, like a heartrate monitor. His paint, usually immaculate, is slightly sloppy, and the designs are a bit lopsided.

Shinki refuses to make eye contact, and something is definitely up.

The sclera of his eyes tints red.

Gaara continues to be bamboozled by the strange phenomenon of parenthood. How the fuck does he deal with this, whatever it is? Is this puberty or something? If it is puberty, how long has his son been dealing with it?

Shit, this is shit.

Gaara wants so badly just to grab his son by the shoulders, and outright ask him what the fuck is up.

So, one night he does, over a steaming dinner of braised stew, Shinki’s favorite food.

Shinki hasn’t touched it. He just stares at it, like it’s some alien being in a bowl with a spoon.

Gaara tries to break the ice.

“Not hungry?”

Shinki folds himself into his black tee and shrugs.

He fails to break the ice, frankly, he slips on it and falls on his ass, and _fuck_ this subtlety shit.

“What’s wrong.”, Gaara asks bluntly.

Shinki’s eyes widen, and he slips in his chair, nearly faceplanting into his soup. His hands steady on the table and his nails scratch indents in the wood.

“May I be excused.”, he says teeth gritted.

“Shinki-

“ _Please._ ”

Gaara hangs his head, and Shinki darts from the table, and up the stairs, stumbling on some steps in a rush to escape his situation.

Damn it.

\---

Shinki wakes up gasping, tears streaming, hands bound to the bed.

They sting and when Shinki squints, in the darkness of his room, with nothing but the moonlight, he can see angry red indents.

The iron is getting creative.

He’s woken up at spearpoint, been nearly squashed by heavy crushing weight, almost torn apart.

Solution: quit sleeping. Genius, right?

His undereyes are atrociously dark from foregoing sleep, so when he wakes up in the morning he makes sure to slather on a lot of paint. He functions like a zombie, the only way he’s getting through today is because of sheer muscle memory and luck. 

Dad is at work, Uncle Kankuro is on a mission, and there is no one there to tell him that he’s forgotten his fucking pants.

Everybody at school laughs, and Shinki wants to physically _die_.

 

\---

Shinki’s started coming home, skipping dinner, and going straight to his room. Gaara would stare and want to just grab his son by the shoulders and shake it out of him, whatever the hell’s wrong. He’s been asking constantly though, and it’s only made Shinki avoid him like the plague.

Tonight it’s not much different. Shinki’s trudging up the stairs, looking like his heart has died in his chest.

“Goodnight, Gaara-sama.”

Gaara wishes Shinki wouldn’t address him so formally. He’s said it outright before, but Shinki just looked at him weirdly.

“Goodnight, son.”

Shinki flinches, and scurries to his room.

The iron spikes after him up the stairs, and as Gaara’s own sand shifts restlessly, something sharp floods his psyche.

Worry, fear, protectiveness.

_My grandson, Shinki, my dear, you are not alone._

Karura curls her arms around Gaara, and whispers her worries to her son.

Gaara wishes his mom were really here. She would know what to do. Even in spirit, she knows everything.  
\---

Shinki dreams that he’s floating.

He’s in the arena, facing a boy with sunshine hair, and a girl with eyes like flaming coal. 

He’s in the arena and his spine aches with the weight of wings, and he steps up and out. This is it. Everything he has dreamed of, trained for, all his blood, sweat, and tears went into this. Shinki intends it to be worth the trouble.

Father will be so _proud_. Gaara’ll love him then. He’ll see that taking Shinki in wasn’t a mistake. 

So Shinki steps forward and forward, he’s going to fly.

He doesn’t have a choice in the matter, and the shackles and chains pull at him.

He wakes up and his bedroom window is wide open, he sees the moon, the sky, the stars and a long drop down.

His spine aches with struggling, away from the chains that hold him, and finally, his voice sounds through the nighttime.

_I’m sorry I’m not strong enough._

“DAD!”, Shinki screams, tears flying from his eyes. “DAD, _HELP ME_!

_Please_.

\---

He’s brushing his teeth when he hears a scream resound down the halls, and nearly chokes on his toothbrush.

It’s _Shinki_.

Gaara doesn’t even bother spitting, just runs down the hall in his stupid-looking bear-printed pajamas, mouth foaming like he’s rabid.

“DAD! _HELP ME_!"

Oh, _hell no_.

Gaara practically roundhouses the door to his sons room, knocking it open, and nearly loses his marbles on the spot.

The iron sand tugs his son towards the window. Shinki’s crying, he’s a mess, he looks wrecked. Struggling and spitting and sobbing.

His son should never look like that. His son should never have to feel alone.

Gaara usually never makes a sound when he leaps into battle. He’s like a wolf, noiseless, absolutely silent.

Tonight is an exception.

“GET THE _FUCK_ AWAY FROM MY SON!”, he roars. His own sand rushes forward and tangles with the iron, weakening it’s grip on Shinki. Taking the opportunity Gaara grabs him away from the window and hugs him tight, rushing him out of his room. Gaara pumps Shinki with his own chakra calming the storm of raging energy. The sand quiets.

“Dad, _dad,_ ”, Shinki sobs, clinging to Gaara. He’s trembling and Gaara just holds him tighter, as Shinki melts into him.

“It’s all right.”, he whispers. “I’m right here. It’s going to be all right.”

 

For the first time in a long while, Shinki closes his eyes without worry.


End file.
